Congratulations Cargill, Testing for Salmonella and Recalling Turkey are better than Shipping and Sickening

On September 11 and the crack of dawn, Cargill Meat Solutions Corporation, a Springdale, Ark. establishment, recalled approximately 185,000 pounds of ground turkey products that may be contaminated with a strain of Salmonella Heidelberg.

• 16 oz. (1 lb.) trays of Honeysuckle White 85/15 Ground Turkey with a Use or Freeze by Date of 09/11/2011

Fresh Ground Turkey Patties

• 16.0 oz. (1 lb.) trays of Honeysuckle White Ground Turkey Patties with a Use or Freeze by Date of 09/18/2011

• 16 oz. (1 lb.) trays of Kroger Ground Seasoned Turkey Patties Fresh 85/15 with a Use or Freeze by Date of 09/17/2011

The products subject to recall today bear the establishment number “P-963” inside the USDA mark of inspection. The products were produced on August 23, 24, 30 and 31 of this year. As I said to the LA Times today:

“This is how it should be done,” Marler said. Cargill is “treating salmonella like the beef industry treats E. coli O157, as an adulterant” — a substance that may make a product harmful — and is being more quick to respond by removing potentially problematic meat from the nation’s food chain.

So I go on vacation only to come back and see this. Ugh.
I said it the first time and I’ll say it again:
Hey Cargill!!! Wake up and test your supplier flocks! I’ll guarantee you have one or more infected with Salmonella Heidelberg. You can clean the hell out of your plant, add all kinds of antimicrobial interventions to your process and it won’t do a damn bit of good unless you eliminate it from your flocks. HAVE YOU EVER HEARD OF VACCINATION, CULLING INFECTED BIRDS AND CLEANING THE HOUSES UNTIL THEY DON’T TEST POSITIVE ANYMORE!?! Apparently, not.
PS: Don’t screw your producers and make them bear the total cost of eliminating Salmonella from your flocks. The whole idea of “integrated” production is to give them support when this sort of thing happens

Minkpuppy

One other thing…if they’re recalling, that means they shipped product before the results were in. They just got lucky that no one got sick this time.